Resident Pon-Evil (Mission II) - Operation: Phoenix Fire

by Delta 727

Level 10: New Appleoosa - Odd Jobs

Harmony's Elements have arrived at New Appleoosa, only to discover that it has been taken over by SpecOps. Upon arrival, they are ambushed by SpecOps at the gate after Chainlink had grown too impatient with the guards in front. After being commanded to throw down their weapons, a new commander had arrived at the top of the gate, and demanded for X-Ray to step forward. X-Ray obeyed, and discovered the commanding pony to be a Pegasus, and more importantly, his brother that was once thought dead.

*Begin Transmission*

"I see you've made some friends since we last met," Lens Cap said, looking around the grounds at X-Ray's team. "You their leader or something?"

"We do not... Have a leader..." X-Ray responded. "Not anymore... To be exact... Your friends here were... Our leaders..."

"You were SpecOps?"

"No," Chainlink replied, trotting up by X-Ray. "The SpecOps worked for them. You ever heard of Harrow-"

Lens Cap cut him off. "Yeah. And I already know you worked for 'em. You and my brother here brought them down. Where's the rest of your team?"

Blade trotted up on the other side of X-Ray. "Here. Acid, the fourth member, is dead. But I'm sure you heard that already."

"Yeah!" Marigold said as she trotted up next to Blade. "An' ah've been kinda like her replacement fer some time, and ah'm sure y'all have seen me 'round these parts before. This is mah home town! But as soon as all've us show up, y'all 're pointin' guns at us."

"The only time I've seen you was back at the victory ceremony that was broadcasting here," Lens Cap replied. "One or two here might know you, but they're probably a walking corpse by now."

"Hey, y'all watch what yer sayin' 'bout mah home town. Ah'me sure they're fine."

"They're not. The town was overrun when we arrived. Just about everypony was dead." Marigold went silent.

"Don't worry about it, Marigold. He did say 'just about'." Blade grabbed his knife, and heard several clicking noises from the wall. "Would you be so kind as to tell your friends to put those away?"

Lens Cap chuckled, and turned around. "Drop 'em. They're on our side." After more sounds of clicking, he turned back to the team. "Yeah. I know who Acid is. Or was, as it be. I used to work for Harrow, like X-Ray. He was dragged off just before he was a stallion, and I volunteered to join with him. I didn't exactly have any choice on that anyway, considering I tried to kill one of the guards taking him." He shook his head to the left, back at New Appleoosa. "That's how I came here. I'm the commanding officer of this entire unit." He turned his gaze to X-Ray. "I assumed you would be in about the same place I am. But it looks to me like you're higher than that. Took down our whole corporation." His voice turned cold. "And left us all out of work."

"Hey, watch it," Chainlink ordered. "They were back-stabbing scumbags. You all know that."

"I could care less what they've done," Lens Cap retorted. "It was how we got paid. How we kept our citizens alive."

"Is that not... Why we are here...?" X-Ray asked. "We are here to... Exchange work for technology that... We need, and you can give..."

Lens Cap paused, then said, "Yeah. You do, and we can. But you'll have to earn it. It's a pretty expensive piece of equipment. If you don't pull your weight around here, we'll be selling it for scrap."

"If you think we are here to take orders from you..." Blade began.

"Hey, relax," Lens Cap stopped him. "Just because we need work doesn't mean I'm turning you guys into slaves. We have things that need to be done, and you guys have the skills to do it. You're right. Harrow's gone, and it's their fault we're in this mess. C'mon in." Lens Cap turned around, replacing his helmet and goggles. "The base is all warmed up for you." He trotted forward, and the gates began to open, sliding into the walls of the base with loud creaking noises. The team hesitated to follow, but X-Ray trotted away to catch up with his brother.

"Guess we can trust 'em," Dingo said. "Let's get in there. I got some friends here too." He trotted after the brothers, and Marigold followed.

"Wait fer me, Sugarcube! Ah'd like to see what's gone on in this ol' place!" They trotted away, and the rest of the team soon followed. The gates creaked shut behind them, and the spotlights flickered off, leaving the foregrounds of New Appleoosa in darkness.

---

"Welcome to your new 'home away from home', fillies," Lens Cap said, waving his hoof across the old, worn down village in front of him. New Appleoosa had only one dirt road that ran down the middle of two rows of old, wooden buildings, each marked for it's own purpuse. A medical center, a food store, an old saloon and lounge, a produce center, an abandoned livestock pen, a carriage garage, an armory, a few old cottages, and a large steel building at the end labled, 'Command Center'. "I'll have you all divided up to your jobs soon enough, but first I'll get you up to speed on what's going on around here." He stopped and turned to the team. "New Appleoosa was over run a while back, as you heard. Not too many civilians survived, but we saved a few. Some moved into the cottages, but we've got a few others at work, and you'll be meeting them soon. You'll be either surprised or shocked to hear we even found a few unicorns that survived. Although," he leaned around to look at Itzel and TrailBlaze peeking out of her bag, "it looks like you've got a couple of your own."

"Yeah. We've seen it all," Chainlink said impatiently. "Now drop the history lesson and get us workin' so we can get what we came for, whatever it is."

"Easy now, you'll get your jobs," Lens Cap continued. "But first, I need to know your names, and what you do." Chainlink started first.

"Name's Chainlink. Demolition."

"Blade. Stealth and Reconnaissance."

"Shorten that down a little?" Lens Cap asked.

"... Recon."

"Name's Dingo. I'm Nova Team's Sniper."

"Socket. Nova Team's Engineer and Technician."

"Cell. Nova Team Medic."

"Name's Marigold! An ol' native from th' first Appleoosa, an' I used t' work on th' cattle ranches 'n farms. Other'n that, ah know how t' handle a gun."

"I'm Itzel. I don't use guns, so I uses knives and bows."

"I'm TrailBlaze! I don't do much, but I know how to shoot a sniper... Kinda." Dingo grinned under his mask.

"And I assume you're still in surveillance, X-Ray?" Lens Cap asked. X-Ray nodded. "Good. Just thought you guys should know, I'm specialized in something like a mix of surveillance and recon. I'm a spotter for the wall guards, and I know how to handle a rifle if I need to. Now, I'll split you all into your jobs." Lens Cap split the team to be sent to their locations of need: Chainlink, Blade, and Dingo to separate sections of the armory, Socket to the garage, Cell to the medical center, Marigold to the produce center, and Itzel and TrailBlaze to the old saloon, due to none of the soldiers needing knife training without using stealth. "Well, hop to it."

"And what about... Me...?" X-Ray asked. Lens Cap chuckled.

"Well, you're with me at the wall. I've got a job for you there." X-Ray went silent.

The team all parted ways for their stations.

---

Chainlink, Blade, and Dingo arrived at the armory, splitting ways to their departments. Chainlink entered the explosives and defenses department, where there were several armored ponies working with different kind of equipment in a room full of varying technology. Control panels, sandbags, plexi-glass disarm stations. One armored stallion was working at a control panel, with armor similar to Chainlink's, only thicker with red stripes across the padded shoulders, unlike the others. He trotted up to the stallion, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey. I'm looking for the head pony here," Chainlink said.

The stallion turned around. "Well, you found him," he said in a rather serious voice. "What's it you need?"

"Lens Cap told me I could help here. Names Chainlink."

"Hm." the stallion paused. "Yeah. Lens Cap told me you'd be here." He held out his hoof. "Name's Shrapnel."

Chainlink pressed his hoof to Shrapnel's, and put it back down. "So what's the deal?"

"We've got a few new recruits that volunteered, and could use your direction. Call 'em in, line 'em up, and get 'em at it. Just make sure they can do anything from place a mine to... Yeah, that'll be enough."

"Yeah, sure... Do they at least know a pressure plate is?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Chainlink grinned. "Just an old mishap from a while back that ain't gonna happen here."

---

Blade entered into the Stealth department, only to find the room dark. As the light flooded in from the door, it landed on an infected pony in the middle of the room. He reacted immediately, racing forward and slamming it into the wall, the infected groaning in rage. He drew his knife, driving it through the Infected's left temple, and its moaning ceased as it slunked to the floor. He drew his knife back into its holster, as a mare's voice came from behind him.

"Hey! What's the matter with you!?" The mare appeared in a light, grey armor dotted with hex-design patterns and tinted goggles. Three more, all stallions, appeared behind her. All three were holding jagged knives. The mare sheathed hers, and trotted up to Blade and giggled, giving him a light shove. "You might be here to help us, but you don't have to snap on a target like that."

"Er, sorry," Blade replied bluntly. "I'm guessing you've heard who I am already?"

"That's right," the mare said, removing her goggles to show a pair of brown eyes and an outer lining of orange fur. "It's Blade, right? Well, I'm Golden Haze. Most just call me Haze. These guys are Black Hawk, Snapper, and Ink Well." Haze put her goggles back on. "So, a stealth colt, huh?"

"If that's what you want to call it, sure. I was told I'd be here to assist with something?"

"Well, that's true. So let's start with step one: Loosen up a bit. We might be the ones that're here to be quiet, but we're not royalty, so don't act like we'll be pushing you around in here."

"Um... Sure. So what do you need? It already looks like you're good enough without me."

"I'm not sure how you can say that," Haze replied, looking at the carcass at the back wall. "You kinda killed our target. I'm trying to get these guys to toughen up and get close enough to even poke 'em. They can't smell or see us, so show 'em what you've got."

Blade nodded. "Take a seat."

---

Dingo found his way to the elevator, and hit the button for the roof. About halfway up, which was about one floor, the elevator stopped, and a stallion in black camouflage and thermal goggles stepped in. His mane and head were left uncovered, revealing a long, yellow mane with a white body, and a long rifle strapped over his back. He reached to hit a button for his floor, but pulled his hoof back when he saw the roof access already pushed.

"Headed there too, eh?" Dingo asked. The stallion remained silent as the door closed. "Sooo... Are you part of the snipers too?" Still no answer. Dingo sighed and remained silent until the elevator reached the roof. The door opened to several sand bags aligned along the edge of the concrete roof, looking out into the surrounding fields of the area. Several other ponies in similar armor to the white stallion stood by them, rifles in hoof. Dingo stepped forward, but the other stallion cut him off, stepping out first. He muttered an insult, and stepped out. "Hey, y'all!" He said to the snipers.

"Shh!" A pink mare said to him, and turned back to her rifle.

"Don't worry about her," a young, light-voiced stallion said next to him. "We kinda have to keep our voices down here. You know, 'snipers-at-work'?"

"Yeah, I get it..." Dingo whispered. The stallion from the elevator grabbed a rifle, taking position with the rest. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. He just doesn't talk. Don't even know what he sounds like. Oh, sorry. Forgot you're new here. My name's Laser Sight. Just call me Laser. Sounds cooler."

"Cool. I'm Dingo. Was told by the boss you need me?"

"Sure do." Laser trotted over to the barrier next to the rest. "Get a suppressor on your rifle. We're not here to attract every Infected this side of Canterlot." Dingo grabbed a suppressor from a small cargo crate by the sandbags, but dropped it, causing it to ting against the concrete. Every pony on the roof glared at him. He froze, whispered, "Uh, sorry..." and awkwardly reached down and grabbed it, carefully screwing it onto his barrel. He aimed his rifle down range. "So how do I help?"

"See those targets down there?" Dingo peered through his scope, spotting several marked barrels, crates, and a few infected tied to posts, a few already dead.

"Yeah."

"Point out targets by coordinate, and each sniper'll take it out. Call one or two for yourself, if you want. We need the target practice. A few here are still new."

The pink mare looked back at him. "And were putting bullets through their eyes before you had your cutie mark." She turned back to the range, a grin on her face.

"Easy there, Back Track. Now listen to what Mr. Dingo tells you to do." She elbowed backward into his shoulder, grinning wider.

"Well, then," Dingo said, arming his rifle. "Follow my lead, fillies..."

---

Socket entered the small garage, which held shelves full of old toolboxes and parts. In the center of the oil-stained room was a large transport, this one attached and run by a large, covered engine. The engine cover was open, and a small, brown pony with two crossed double-edged wrenches was digging around inside.

"Excuse me," Socket said. "Are you the mechanic here?"

The brown pony pulled her head from the engine compartment, holding a wrench similar to her cutie mark in her mouth. She was a unicorn that had a light blond mane and dark purple eyes. She spit the wrench from her mouth, causing it to clang to the floor.

"Oh. Hi," she said. "What's up?"

"My name is Socket. I'm here because Lens Cap said you needed my services?"

"Depends, are you good with this kinda thing?" the unicorn asked.

"Oh, absolutely."

"Then, yeah, I guess I do. The name's Quick Fix." Quick Fix turned back to the engine. Socket stood silently, then trotted up to the open engine, Quick Fix messing around inside.

"Can I ask how I can help?" Socket asked.

Quick Fix waved her hoof over at one of the shelves, not leaning out of the engine department. "Grab me a flathead screw driver?"

Socket trotted over to a toolbox, flicked it open, and grabbed a plastic-handled screwdriver. He brought it back over to Quick Fix, who took it in her magic and levitated it into the engine with her.

"Now get your head in here and be ready to help me out."

"Of course," Socket said politely, and stood up on his hind legs, leaning into the engine.

---

Cell passed through the glass, automatic doors of the medical center. Inside was a small reception desk with a white, red-maned mare with red eyes behind the desk. "I'm here with orders from Lens Cap," Cell said.

"Oh, good!" the mare at the desk said. "The Doctor is waiting for you. Through there." The mare pointed to a door marked, 'Recovery'.

"Thanks," Cell said simply, and went through the next automatic door. Inside was a small hallway lined with doors, four on each side, and the first door on the left ajar. She pushed it open gently, "I'm looking for the Doctor?" Cell said as she entered.

"In here!" Came a stallion's voice. A dark yellow stallion with a brown, neatly kept mane with a pair of glasses and lab coat on was standing at the bedside of a copper-colored, pitch white-maned stallion in a front leg cast. "Lay still. You'll be released in a few days."

"Aw, c'mon, Doc," the injured stallion said. "I should be back on my hooves right now."

"No, you shouldn't be," the Doctor responded. "Now rest," he grinned. "Doctor's orders."

The stallion grunted his agreement and laid back down. The Doctor trotted up to Cell, adjusting his glasses back to his blue eyes. "Hello there. I understand Lens Cap has you here to help me?" Cell nodded. "Well, excellent. I could use it. My name is Doctor Olive Branch. And you?"

"Cell."

"Cell... How interesting. Perhaps you can help me with mister reckless over here..."

"Hey, I heard that, Doc," the stallion said with a grin.

"Oh, hush," Olive Branch said. "Come. I need you to test something." He trotted over to the stallion on the bed, and Cell followed. "I need you to examine his leg, make sure his healing is functioning."

Cell trotted forward, lifting the stallions leg. "Hey there, miss," the stallion said. "You didn't come in here just to flirt with me, did'ya?"

Cell rolled her eyes behind her green goggles. "What did he injure?"

"A few fractures spread around in his leg. I won't go into the 'scientific' details. It gives our patient here a headache..."

Cell ran her hoof just above the cast, pressing gently. The stallion grunted in pain. "He's healing," Cell confirmed.

"Excellent," Olive Branch said. "Then the surgery was a success. We haven't been as effective with less equipment than we would like."

The stallion grimaced. "Or anesthesia, on that point..." The stallion glanced back at Cell, pretending to toughen up. "But I've had worse than a few needles in my bones."

"Now, now, Scrap Metal," Olive Branch warned. "You're here to heal, not as you say, 'speed date'." Scrap Metal gave one last curt nod, and laid back down. "Thank you for your help, Cell. Now, we have a few more patients I could use help with."

--

Marigold stepped into the cool, damp atmosphere of the glass greenhouse, also known as the Produce Center. Inside, the air was thick with mist from sprinklers, and lining the floor were rows of tables covered in produce. Some were still growing in plant trays, while others were freshly picked and carefully placed inside wooden bins. And the produce consisted of just about everything that could be grown. Grasses, daisies, tomatoes, carrots, and so on. Marigold found herself gazing around the produce, her mouth watering. She had never seen so much food of such quality for months! She was broken from her trance by a hoof holding out a small baby carrot to her.

"Here, try one," a soft mare's voice said. Marigold turned to see a mare with a blond body and a blue mane with matching blue eyes. On her flank was a cutie mark of a basket of blueberries.

"Well thank ya!" Marigold replied. "Don' mind if ah do!" She tilted her head down, and took the carrot in her mouth. She grinned as she chewed, and the mare in front of her smiled. When she had finished the carrot, Marigold noticed a small filly next to the mare, with a matching body color, but a lighter blue mane and eyes, and no cutie mark. "Well, hello there!" Marigold said to the filly.

"Hello," the filly said politely.

"Oh, pardon me," the gardening mare said. "Where are my manners? My name is Spring Harvest, and this is my daughter, Blue Belle."

"Well, what fine names y'all have! Ah'm Marigold." She held out her hoof. Spring placed her hoof with Marigold's, and set it back.

"So Lens Cap says you used to be a farmer, hm?"

"Ah guess so!"

"Oh, good. We would love your help here. There's so many mouths to feed, we could use the help."

"Ah'd be delighted!"

"It'd be very appreciated. Blue Belle, go and tend the apples, would you please?" Blue Belle scampered off toward the apple orchids. "And you can help me get a few baskets of beets?"

"Sounds good t' me!" Marigold grabbed a small, woven basket from next to one of the tables. Spring did the same. They trotted over to a table sprouting with plants growing with the purple vegetables. The two began picking, filling their baskets.

"So I hear you're not here all by yourself, Marigold?" Spring asked.

"Oh, not in th' slightest," Marigold responded. "We got plenty o' us 'round here now. I ain't the only one put to work. It'll be good for 'em."

"Well, good." Spring picked another beet. "There's quite a few of us that need help around here. I'm just glad to have another mare to talk to that isn't Quick Fix, our mechanic. She's not much for gardening."

"That ain't th' only thing good 'bout us bein' here. Turns out one o' us is Lens Cap's brother!"

"Oh? I didn't know he had any living relatives."

"They didn't seem too thrilled. No huggin', no cryin', just a bland ol' greeting. Now from X-Ray, ah can kinda understand. But Lens Cap, ah'm sure he actually is one fer expressin' bout 'is family."

"Give them time. I'm sure they'll be better soon enough."

"Ah sure hope so. X-Ray needs th' company o' a brother right 'bout now."

---

Itzel found herself in the old saloon, sitting in a booth with TrailBlaze next to her, still in her bag. A waitress had served them both waters, and they found themselves staring at them, but no thirst came to them. So they sat quietly at the table. Soon after, a stallion covered in black armor similar to the snipers, only removed from his head and part of his back, revealing white wings, a white body, and light green mane and eyes, came and sat across from them at the booth.

"I'm not here for a date," Itzel said, not looking up from her drink.

"Good, neither am I," the stallion replied. "I'm here 'cause I saw you comin' into town with all those others. Heard you were a blademaster."

"Who's asking?" Itzel looked up at the white stallion.

"Winter Mint," the stallion said. "It just so happens I've a bit of an eye with a blade too." He pulled a small, pointed knife from a belt on his waist, cast it across the room, nailing into a dartboard put up on a post, just to the right of the bullseye. Itzel looked at it, impressed, then glanced at Trailblaze, both of them grinning.

"Oh, yeah?" Itzel said, drawing one of her own knives, tossing it across the room, and landing an inch inside the bullseye. A direct hit. Winter grinned.

"You've got quite an aim. What's your name?"

Itzel looked him in the eye with a gaze as sharp as her aim. "Itzel." TrailBlaze hopped up and put her front hooves on the table. "I'm TrailBlaze!"

"Ah, you have a daughter. You two look alot alike." Winter glanced at TrailBlaze's cast-covered wing. "Ouch. What happened there?"

"She was injured in a fall. Don't have the equipment to fix it yet."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he stood up, trotted to the dart board, and pulled out the knives. "You're Alicorns. Did Celestia herself teach you your aim?"

"No," Itzel replied. "I taught myself."

"Interesting." Winter trotted back to the table, sheathed his own knife, and gave Itzel hers. She gladly took it, and sheathed it with the rest, showing the rows of others. "That's quite the pointers you've got there. Do they work on the corpses?"

"One in the eye, and they're done. I can handle one or two at a time, but a crowd's a problem." Itzel grinned. "That's why I've got plenty of guns to back me up."

"Good to hear." Winter pulled another knife from his belt. "Care for a game?"

Itzel drew her own knife. "You're on."

---

"Welcome to The Wall, X-Ray," Lens Cap said. The two brothers were trotting through the corridors lined through the walls. The outer side was riddled with holes big enough for a gun to fit in, and easy to see out of, but not in to.

"And this is where... We will be working...?" X-Ray asked.

"It is. I just wanted to bring you here to have a talk first." Lens Cap looked around to make sure no pony was looking. "About what happened... I'm sorry it ended like it did." X-Ray went silent. "I know you don't like to talk about it, but it wasn't supposed to be the way it was."

"You and I both... Thought the other was dead..." X-Ray replied.

"But we're here now." Lens Cap placed a hoof on X-Ray's shoulder. "We're gonna hold out here, and we'll get out of this mess. None of your friends need to know." He put his hoof down. "Be careful out there."

"Same to you..."

"Alright, now down to business, let's get to work..." The two trotted away further into the wall, heading to begin their jobs as brothers once more.

---

"We can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope." - Anonymous

*Transmission Ended*

Special Commendations To: QuickFix Pony

http://www.facebook.com/matthew.q.kun?fref=ts